One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from aspiring authors is that you need thousands of people on an email list before that list can make you any money.

I want to get rid of that idea right now.

You do not need 10,000 subscribers.

You do not need 5,000 subscribers.

You do not even need 1,000 subscribers before you can begin turning an author email list into an income-producing part of your publishing business.

What you need are the RIGHT subscribers.

There is a tremendous difference between having 10,000 people who barely remember signing up for your emails and having 250 people who know who you are, enjoy what you have to say, open your emails, and trust your recommendations.

I have spent 40 years in the book publishing industry, and one lesson I learned a long time ago is that numbers by themselves can be deceptive. A book publisher does not make money simply because thousands of books were printed. Those books have to find readers who want them.

Your email list works the same way.

Before we go any further, if you are an author, aspiring author, or independent publisher trying to build a sustainable publishing business, follow me at The Book Kahuna Chronicles. I regularly write about publishing, book marketing, author platforms, content creation, and ways writers can turn their knowledge into income.

Now let us talk about making some money from that email list.

Stop Waiting for the Magical Number

I understand why authors become obsessed with list size.

We hear success stories about entrepreneurs with 50,000 or 100,000 subscribers. Then someone starting an email list for authors looks at their 137 subscribers and thinks:

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

My answer is simple.

Do something with them!

Those 137 subscribers are 137 real human beings who raised their hands and said they wanted to hear from you.

Think about that for a minute.

If you were speaking at a bookstore and 137 people showed up to hear you talk, would you walk out because the audience was too small?

Of course not.

You would probably be thrilled.

Yet authors routinely collect 100, 200, or 500 email subscribers and virtually ignore them because they have convinced themselves that the list is not big enough.

That is backwards.

Your smaller list gives you an opportunity to learn what your audience wants before you scale.

The Value of a Small but Engaged Email List

If I gave you a choice between 5,000 subscribers with a 5 percent open rate and 500 subscribers with a 50 percent open rate, which list would you want?

I would take the second one.

Every time.

Those people are paying attention.

An engaged email list is an asset because those subscribers have begun developing a relationship with you. They know something about your work. They understand what you offer. Most importantly, they have given you permission to communicate directly with them.

That last point is enormously important.

Your followers on social media belong, in practical terms, to the platform.

Your email subscribers belong to your list.

Algorithms change. Platforms change. Accounts disappear. Reach gets throttled. What worked wonderfully six months ago can suddenly stop working.

Your email list gives you a direct connection with readers.

That makes email marketing for authors one of the most important components of an author platform.

First, Give People a Reason to Stay

Do not start bombarding a new subscriber with sales pitches.

I know you want to monetize your list, but monetization begins with trust.

Give people something useful.

If you write nonfiction, provide information that helps solve the problem your reader came to you to solve.

If you write fiction, give readers something that pulls them deeper into your fictional world.

You might provide a short guide, checklist, bonus chapter, sample, resource sheet, video, webinar, or downloadable PDF.

This is commonly called a lead magnet for authors, but I want you to think beyond the marketing terminology.

You are beginning a relationship.

Give your new reader something valuable and make that reader think:

“I am glad I signed up for this.”

That reaction is worth far more than collecting another random email address.

Sell the Book You Already Have

Here is the most obvious way to start monetizing your email list.

Sell your book.

Obvious?

Yes.

But sometimes authors overlook the obvious while searching for complicated strategies.

Your subscribers should know what books you have available and why those books might be valuable to them.

The mistake is sending an email that says:

“Buy my book.”

That is not marketing. That is asking.

Instead, tell me why I need the book.

What problem does it solve?

What question does it answer?

What experience does it provide?

Why did you write it?

Who did you write it for?

Use your email content to demonstrate the value of the book and then provide your reader with an opportunity to purchase it.

That is the foundation of how to sell books through email marketing.

Educate first. Build interest. Then make the offer.

You Have More to Sell Than a Book

This is where I think authors need to expand their thinking.

You are not merely selling books.

You are selling knowledge, expertise, entertainment, information, and access.

Your book may be only the beginning.

Suppose you wrote a 250-page nonfiction book about gardening.

What else could you create?

You might sell a seasonal planting guide.

You could create a video course.

You could offer a paid webinar.

You could develop printable garden planners.

You could create a premium newsletter.

You might offer one-on-one consultations.

You could bundle your book with additional digital products.

Suddenly, your book is not the final product. It is the foundation of a larger product ecosystem.

That is how authors make money from an email list without needing an enormous audience.

Create a Low-Cost First Offer

One of my favorite approaches for a smaller list is the low-cost digital product.

Do not immediately ask someone who just discovered you to spend $300.

Give that person an easier decision.

Maybe it is a $7 checklist.

Maybe it is a $12 workbook.

Maybe it is a $19 mini-course.

Maybe it is a $29 webinar.

The exact price is not the important part.

The important part is moving someone from subscriber to customer.

Once somebody pays you even a small amount of money and is happy with what they receive, your relationship changes.

They are no longer simply a subscriber.

They are a customer.

This is why digital products for authors can be such an effective complement to books. Digital products usually have low manufacturing and distribution costs, and the same product can be sold repeatedly.

Listen to Your Subscribers

Do you want to know what your audience will buy?

Ask them.

This is one of the greatest advantages of starting with a small list.

Talk to your subscribers.

Send a short survey.

Ask them what they are struggling with.

Ask what they would like you to write about.

Ask what questions they have.

Look at which emails receive replies.

Look at which links people click.

Your subscribers will tell you what they want if you pay attention.

This is also how you develop profitable email list ideas for writers without guessing.

If 40 people tell you they are struggling with the same problem, there may be a product hiding inside that problem.

The Mathematics Can Work Earlier Than You Think

Let us use some very simple numbers.

Suppose you have 300 engaged subscribers.

You create a $29 digital product that directly addresses something your subscribers have been asking about.

Only 5 percent buy.

That is 15 customers.

15 × $29 = $435.

Did you retire?

No.

Did you prove that your list can generate revenue?

Absolutely.

Now imagine improving the product, improving the emails, adding subscribers, and repeating the process.

Suppose eventually you have 1,000 engaged subscribers and 5 percent purchase a $49 product.

That is 50 sales.

50 × $49 = $2,450.

Now things are getting interesting.

This is why I tell authors not to become mesmerized by vanity metrics.

You are trying to build an author business, not win a popularity contest.

Do Not Sell in Every Email

There is another side to this.

Your subscribers are not ATMs.

If every communication says BUY, BUY, BUY, people will stop opening your emails.

Give them reasons to look forward to hearing from you.

Teach them something.

Tell a story.

Give them an opinion.

Share something you learned.

Point them toward a useful resource.

Make them laugh occasionally.

Then, when you have something worth offering, make the offer.

The strongest email marketing strategy for writers combines useful content with appropriate sales opportunities.

I like to think of it this way:

Give.

Give.

Give.

Offer.

Then give some more.

You are building a long-term relationship, not conducting a going-out-of-business sale.

Your Small List Is Your Laboratory

There is another advantage to monetizing before your list becomes large.

You get to make your mistakes while the audience is small.

That is valuable.

Test subject lines.

Test offers.

Test prices.

Test different types of content.

Find out what generates clicks.

Find out what generates replies.

Find out what generates sales.

If something falls flat in front of 200 subscribers, you learned something.

Better to learn that lesson with 200 subscribers than 20,000.

By the time your list grows, you want to understand your audience and know what works.

That is how you grow an email list and make money at the same time.

You are not waiting until the list is finished before monetizing it.

The list is never finished.

You are building, testing, learning, selling, and improving simultaneously.

Treat Every Subscriber Like a Real Person

This may be the most important thing I can tell you.

Behind every email address is a person.

Someone has a goal.

Someone has a problem.

Someone wants entertainment.

Someone wants information.

Someone wants encouragement.

Someone wants to accomplish something that you may be able to help them accomplish.

Do not look at your email dashboard and see 327 addresses.

See 327 people.

That change in perspective affects everything.

It changes how you write your emails.

It changes how you create products.

It changes how you sell.

It changes how you build your author platform and email list.

And ultimately, it changes the relationship you have with your readers.

Start Where You Are

If you currently have 50 subscribers, start with 50.

If you have 200, start with 200.

If you have 500, you have more than enough people to begin learning what your audience needs and whether they will buy from you.

Stop telling yourself:

“I will monetize when I have 5,000 subscribers.”

Why?

What magical event takes place when subscriber number 5,000 arrives?

Nothing.

Your opportunity exists right now.

Build trust.

Provide value.

Ask questions.

Listen.

Create something useful.

Make an offer.

Study the response.

Then do it again.

That is how a small list becomes a valuable list.

The Book Kahuna’s Final Word

After four decades in publishing, I have watched this industry change in ways that would have seemed impossible when I started my career.

Authors today have something authors of earlier generations would have loved to possess: the ability to communicate directly with readers without waiting for a publisher, bookseller, distributor, newspaper, magazine, or television program to provide access.

Do not waste that opportunity because you think your audience is too small.

Your first 100 subscribers matter.

Your first 500 matter.

Treat them well enough, provide enough value, and listen closely enough, and those early subscribers may become the foundation upon which your entire author business is built.

A small email list that trusts you is worth more than a giant list that ignores you.

Start building the relationship.

Start testing your ideas.

And yes, start making some money.

You do not need permission.

You do not need thousands of subscribers.

You just need to start.

If you want more practical information about publishing, book marketing, building an author platform, and turning your writing and knowledge into multiple streams of income, follow The Book Kahuna Chronicles.

And if you would like publishing strategies, author-business ideas, and new Book Kahuna content delivered directly to you, join my Book Kahuna email list here.

Keep writing. Keep building. Keep learning.

Your audience does not have to be huge.

It just has to care.

The Book Kahuna

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